Teach a Kid How To Read: How to Teach Kids to Read and Write

The basis for our education system has not changed much over the past five thousand years. We may now be teaching children from an earlier age, but this is simply tapping into children's natural genius; much as Mozart's father did when he began teaching him at the age of four.

But what we teach our children as the basis of our education system becomes the building blocks for their future education and careers. These building blocks are reading, writing and counting.

Every word that you read, every letter that you write and every number that you see and can calculate was built on this foundation of reading, writing and counting.

It is therefore important to make sure that your home schooled preschooler has a solid foundation in the basics of these three skills before they move onto more difficult and complex tasks. By ensuring that they can read with ease and enjoy reading for fun, that they can write the letters of the alphabet and numbers and can count from 1 to 100 (not such a difficult task) you will ensure that the rest of their learning becomes easy and fun and that they don't associate these simple tasks with difficulty.

What can you do to teach your child to read? Is it possible to make your child become a fast and fluent reader?

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The greatest obstacle to home schooling your preschooler is to ensure that you always have their attention when learning these basic skills. By following a few simple rules, you ensure that they not only have fun, but also that they see themselves as succeeding at it, thus increasing their confidence and making future learning fun and easy as well.

Reading

Teach your child the 100 most common words in the English language. This will ensure that they are able to read approximately half of everything written in the English Language. This can range from the bible to a medical encyclopaedia. All books and written material will contain these 100 words. This provides an excellent basis for their future reading.

Writing

The skill of writing, a much revered skill of the past, is at its simplest a matter of hand-eye coordination. You have to simply introduce your home schooled preschooler to writing by getting them to doodle with a pen on paper. Once they are comfortable with the idea of a pen, show them how to hold it and once they are comfortable with that action, show them how to write letters.

Your three or four year old will be able to write the letters of the alphabet within a month. It won't be very neat or exact, but will be on par with a doctor's handwriting.

Counting

Begin by teaching your child the primary numbers - 0 to 9. Then show them the numbers in your day-to-day world. Show them the numbers in books, magazine, phone numbers and on TV. Soon they will begin to recognise the numbers and you can then begin to teach them to count further. Remember do not teach your preschooler everything at once, but instead teach them in small increments letting them fully understand one concept before moving onto the next one.

In Conclusion

When you are home schooling your preschooler, remember that you are not on anyone's schedule other than your child's. So, spend as much time as you need making sure that they have a solid and confident grasp of the basics, thus ensuring the success of your preschoolers future education and also making future learning easier for them.

Pay Close Attention Here-

Now listen carefully! Take 2 minutes to read the next page and you'll discover how you can teach your child to read in just 12 weeks. Children who learn to read and develop fluent reading abilities early on has a huge advantage over their peers who did not have the opportunity to learn to read early. I think this is something that all parent should put to consideration seriously. If you believe that teaching your child to read and helping your child develop proficient reading skills is the key to future success, and if you wish to help your children develop to their fullest potential... then I strongly urge you to read everything on the next page - Click Here

'Cloze' texts are reading passages which have certain words taken out and replaced by an underlined blank space. Each space indicates where the reader should put the missing word. The reader has to use the context of the passage to supply the appropriate word. The cloze procedure was originally used as a way of assessing reading comprehension. It is a great way of assessing if the reader can understand what they are reading. It also engages the reader in active reading because they have to process the meaning of the words as they read.

More recently it is used to help in the teaching of reading. Activities using cloze procedure can help learners develop reading and writing skills such as comprehension, fluency, sequencing and spelling.

How to make cloze texts.
You will need a good selection of books which are at the right level for your child and which they enjoy. You will need to either photocopy or scan the text. Or you could type them out on your PC leaving out the words you want to teach.

1. Choose texts that provide a lot of clues and supporting information to help the word identification.

2. Use cloze texts with other ways to test comprehension.

3. Only use texts which are right for the reading level of the reader.

4. Leave all the words in the first two or three sentences to allow the reader to get into the passage.

5. Delete selected words which you want to emphasis to the reader and replace them with an underlined space. Do not delete proper nouns unless there are enough clues in the text to help the learner chose the right words.

67% of all Grade 4 students cannot read at a proficient level! According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, of those 67%, 33% read at just the BASIC level, and 34% CANNOT even achieve reading abilities of the lowest basic level! To discover a fantastic system for helping children learn to read that has been used by countless parents just like you, visit Best Technique to Teach a Child to Read

Teaching very young children to read is not a simple process, but it doesn't have to be difficult either. With a simple step-by-step reading program, you too, can teach your child to read at an early age and help your child achieve superb reading skills. To discover a super simple and powerful reading program that will show you how to easily teach your child to read - Click Here

According to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the academic subject known as language arts is composed of "composition, language, literature, media, and reading." And, according to some experts, reading and writing are two of the most important components of a language arts program, especially for early learners. As a matter of fact, reading and writing are so important to young students that they are viewed as the basis for success in nearly every other academic subject.

Language Arts Instruction for Homeschooling Parents

Many studies and publications exist to help teachers understand the importance of reading comprehension in subjects other than language arts, but one of the most important tools that educators can provide children with is their own ability to understand that children learn to read differently, at their own pace, and in their own way. This understanding is especially important in the homeschool environment where parents and homeschool educators are relatively free to employ whatever teaching methods work best for the individual child.

Reading instruction is a component of the language arts curriculum that should be introduced across multiple subject matter content. Children ultimately have to understand what they read in a variety of textbooks, not just as part of a language arts class. Yet, reading instruction begins long before formal education begins, especially for homeschooling parents and educators.

Teaching Reading to Preschoolers

Teaching reading and other language arts skills to preschool learners relies heavily on a concept known as modeling. Modeling merely means exposing young children to the types of behaviors and habits we want them to learn. Many parents and homeschooling educators employ this kind of instruction naturally, without giving it much thought.

To model reading behavior to young children, adults and other children should read to, and with, early learners. This type of instruction can take place from the moment of birth and can significantly impact a child's love for reading. In addition to a love for reading and stories, children who are read to at an early age learn skills such as book knowledge and word appreciation.

Book knowledge is the ability to recognize book formats and purpose. Early readers learn how to hold a book properly, to read English from left to right, how pictures supplement the story, and that books have basic components such as a front and back, spine, pages, covers, and more. Children automatically learn these things at a conceptual level long before they understand the purpose of each component.

Children who have been exposed to reading modeling also learn beginning phonics. Children who are ready, learn basic letter sounds, word and phrase inflection, and the alphabet. From this point, children will often enjoy participating in simple letter recognition and pronunciation games. They probably don't recognize the fact that they are learning!

Teaching Reading to Students in Kindergarten and First Grade

Ideally, children who have been introduced to reading modeling behavior enter kindergarten and first grade ready and eager to read on their own. For most children, the formal teaching of reading begins in these grades. Most educators, homeschool or otherwise, use a combination of phonics programs, worksheets, and actual books to teach reading. These are all tried and true methods and can result in reading success. A relatively new methodology, syllabics, extends the focus of phonics programs on the sounds associated with the consonant letters to simple rules for correctly using the variable sounds associated with the vowels.

But fundamental characteristic of homeschooling are the freedom and flexibility to modify and tailor any learning program to the child's learning style. This means that children who need extra phonics or syllabics instruction, additional reading practice, or who learn better with computer software or worksheets than traditional instruction, are taught using whatever teaching method works best for them. In the early grades, reading and phonics, supplemented by introductions to syllabics, take precedence over vocabulary, grammar, and even spelling.

The early language arts curriculum should also include basic writing skills. At this age, there is little need to concentrate on anything other than how to hold a pencil and how to shape letters and numbers and, for the thoroughly modern child, the location of each letter on their computer keyboard. The specifics of how to write words, sentences, and paragraphs will come later.

Language Arts for Students in Grades Three Through Five

The language arts curriculum for students in grades three through five builds upon the basic reading and writing skills that students mastered in grades K-2. Journaling, preparing basic book reports, and group discussions all help students to develop writing skills and enhance their reading comprehension. Reading becomes not only a situation of pure story enjoyment, but also encourages students to start thinking about such things as cause and effect, story lines and progression, and story meanings.

There is no better time than the present for educators to begin to use more than basic instructional texts to help students learn to read. As a matter of fact, some educators warn that reading programs that use only developmental reading texts fail to expose early readers to real life books, i.e., literature. Children should indeed be exposed to genuine literature at the earliest possible age, not merely books written primarily to teach reading. It is important to note that the literature that early readers are exposed to is not the same literature that adults read. Early reading literature merely means creative books written by authors who write to entertain, not just teach.

Middle and Upper Grades Language Arts

Students who have successfully mastered the basics of reading and writing in the lower grades are ready to spread their wings and read! Upper grades language arts curriculums emphasize further reading comprehension by requiring readers to tackle increasingly more difficult literature. Students in grades six through eight gain comprehension by analyzing what they've read and participating in critical discussions and writing assignments.

It is really important that every reader, at all levels, find the genre that melds best with their unique interests. Requiring children to read "To Kill a Mocking Bird" when they prefer "Cujo" is nearly guaranteed to destroy their interest in, and love of, reading. Allowing a student at least some freestyle reading is one key to maintaining a child's interest in reading. There will certainly come a time when reading Chaucer might be necessary, but the language arts curriculum should never be so rigid as to require only one source of literature over all others.

Many in-service teachers are not knowledgeable in the basic concepts of the English language. They do not know how to address the basic building blocks of language and reading. - This is NOT a statement that we are making, rather, this is a finding from a study done at the Texas A&M University. Their study was aptly titled "Why elementary teachers might be inadequately prepared to teach reading." To discover the scientifically proven methods, that will enable you to teach your child to read, and help your child become a fast and fluent reader, visit Approaches to Teaching Reading

Learning to read is a long process, but it doesn't have to be a difficult process. Broken down into intuitive and logical steps, a child as young as two years old can learn to read, and older children can accomplish even more. For a simple, step-by-step program that can help your child learn to read - Click Here

One of the best ways for children to learn to read is by doing fun projects to help them remember their letter sounds. Hands-on activities are a wonderful way to help children cement letter sounds as they learn to read.

Make sure as you do these projects that you also incorporate the auditory aspect of learning by having them say the letter sounds several times after you throughout the project. Combining all three aspects of learning - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic - gives your child the best opportunity to retain the information you are trying to teach.

Most teaching involves the visual and auditory aspect but leaves out the kinesthetic aspect because it is not as convenient and takes some creativity to add movement to the concept being taught. This is tragic since most young children are hardwired for movement and thrive on learning with action.

Here are some fun ideas to do together:

1. Make letter shapes from cooked spaghetti noodles and let them harden. As your child forms the letters, the action involved in creating the letter shapes will help them recall the shape and sound much more easily.

2. Make letter shapes out of play dough.

3. Pour pancake batter into letter shapes. You can get a bottle that lets you easily write with pancake batter at William Sonoma. My son loves me to make the letters in his name with it.

6. Cut large letters out of magazines and also cut out pictures that start with the sound you are teaching. Then glue the letters and the pictures to some construction paper. Practice saying the letter sound you are studying with the pictures you cut out.

7. Write the letters you are studying on construction paper and have your child draw a picture of something that begins with that sound.

8. Have your child act out something that starts with the letter sound you are teaching. For example, if you are teaching the letter 'S', your child could pretend to be a snake.

9. Write the letters you are studying on construction paper. Then talk about what the letter looks like that starts with its sound. For example, the letter 'S' could look like a snake. This may take some creativity, but once you come up with something, draw on the letter to make it look like something that starts with the letter. So, for the snake example, you would turn the letter 'S' into a snake by adding a rattle on end of the 'S' and drawing a tongue and some eyes on the other end of the 'S'. This is a very powerful visual reminder that helps the child easily put together the shape of a letter with its sound.

Not only will your child retain the information better with these fun hands-on activities, but they will have a great time as they learn to read. And an enjoyment of learning and reading is imperative if your child is to become a life-long self-motivated learner.

Poor reading ability and literacy skills lead to reduced opportunities in life, and worse yet, "being illiterate is a guaranteed ticket to a dead end life with no skills and no future." For a step-by-step, easy to follow, and easy to understand lessons along with stories, rhymes, and colorful illustrations to make you and your child's learning to read process a fun, engaging, and rewarding experience - Click Here

When reading to your child, read slowly, and point to the words that you are reading to help the child make a connection between the word your are saying and the word you are reading. Always remember that reading should be a fun and enjoyable activity for your children, and it should never feel like a "chore" for them. Click here to help your child learn to read

Author's Bio:

Now you can teach your child to read and make him or her develop critical, foundational reading skills that puts them years ahead of other children....even if they are having difficulties at learning to read! Visit Techniques for Teaching Reading

The first few years of life are the most important and critical for the development of literacy skills, and having a literacy-rich environment at home will ensure your child becomes a successful reader. Aside from reading to your child, specific instructions and teaching must be used to teach your child to read. For a simple, step-by-step program that will help you teach your child to read, visit Best Way to Teach Reading